


You Can Throw Me Shade (all it does is just cool me off)

by Jonaira



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Awkward First Times, Bisexuality, Eventual Smut, F/M, Families of Choice, Fluff, Foreplay, Gen, Growing Up, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Kissing, M/M, Missions, Multi, My First Work in This Fandom, Polyamory, Romance, Slow Burn, So much kissing, Superheroes, Team Bonding, Team Feels, Team Fluff, Team as Family, Teenage Dorks, Threesome, Threesome - F/M/M, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-02-02
Packaged: 2019-10-14 16:12:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17511785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jonaira/pseuds/Jonaira
Summary: They'd come a long way since the first time Wally had tripped into her life, covered in sunscreen yet busy throwing shade (at her)Growing into each other, weaving together like the people of her mother's homeland would weave narrow bamboo into roofs that faithfully sheltered those under it from the heaviest of downpours.Except, Artemis finds that she and Wally aren't the only ones standing under the roof they've built for themselves.And that doesn't make it any less Home.Alternatively, a story in which somewhere between making puns and eating a lot of cereal, Dick dates people (who don't always realize he's dating them), and grows up.





	1. Chapter 1

"Mind if I interrupt?" Robin states and definitely doesn't ask, because the grin on his pointy face is way too smug to pass as even mildly discomfited at the way he's interrupting Wally and Artemis's private time.

The dick.

 

It had been just Artemis and Wally in the kitchen at Mount Justice. Just them, and too many months of Unresolved Sexual Tension that had only just started to crawl towards some semblance of resolution.

Seriously, Wally was all for taking things slowly and talking about his feelings and their evolution with Artemis over cookies and milk, but she'd probably just beat his ass if she was feeling generous, or shoot him if she wasn't feeling so charitable.

Hence, he'd gotten to the good stuff first and just kissed her good and proper after the little peck they'd shared on New Year's.

Clearly she'd appreciated that; he doesn't have arrows sticking out of painful places and Artemis is perched squirming on the counter with him standing between her knees and there's some serious tongue action going on even if they're both too high on euphoria with the teams' win in an empty cave with no supervision all to themselves, to be really particular about technique.

Sure they've knocked teeth too many times to count in the last few minutes that they'd been making out, but the night is young and so are they.

Plus, he's had a hand steadily inching up her side, warm skin and chiselled muscle shifting under his fingers as she tugged him impossibly closer. And hey, while he may be the Wall-Man who's smooth with the Ladies, this is _Artemis_ and she’s no lady- she's a hurricane, she's a storm, a blaze,- she's, well, she's a Spitfire.

 

And Artemis Crock may not be _his_ yet, but Wally's a simple guy really. He doesn't want for much, but it's kinda all consuming, how desperately he wants her to be fine with it, no, not just fine, to _like_ it when he (lightly _lightly,_ gently does it now) brushes the tip of his thumb against the curve of her breast.

 

If her deep, shaky intake of breath is anything to go by while she mouths at the skin beneath his ear, yup, she likes it. Wally can't help the huge grin he can feel spreading while he pulls away to kiss her on the nose. Artemis isn't one to be outdone though, and if Wally was stoked over the fact that she let him get to second base, he's now st _r_ oked as she hooks her ankles around his waist and pulls herself flush against him, so that he warms from the heat between her legs.

 

And that's before she pulls away to wink and then grin wickedly before _ohmigod_ those cool sharp fingers are in too many places at once, tugging at his hair, popping the button of his jeans, cupping him through the cotton of his boxers and he's suddenly mindful of the fact that he's aching and embarrassingly hard from just kissing.

And oh god, please don't let her be put off by boners because he really doesn't want to scare her off by making her think he's going too fast, that he's just some creep who wants a quick roll in the hay with a hot body and golden hair. 

 

Artemis notices his little freak out because she pulls back to look him square in the eyes, both her hands coming up to his face (he manfully does not whimper at the loss of her fingers from his happy parts), thumbs stroking along his cheekbones.

 

"Hey, Kid Mouth," and they both can't help smirking at that a little; he's honestly starting to get the hang of this frenching thing.

"Breathe, ok ? This is probably the most normal thing we've done together so far and I know you're scared, I'm scared too, but 'cause you're a bigger wuss than I am, I'm gonna put it into words for you ok ?

I trust you with my life. It's not that big a leap to trust you with my first time as well. If I'm not ok with something, I'll say so. If you aren't comfortable with something, then _you_ say so. Clear ?"

 

Wally thinks he might have blurred a bit with how fast he nods his head yes. _Her first time ?_

Wally had kissed a girl all of once before, and it had been soft, hesitant and very sweet, She’d moved to another city the next year and that had been that.

Kissing Artemis was like being set on fire- all consuming. He couldn’t think beyond the fact that this incredible creature actually liked him enough to kiss him back.

Man, he'd have been counting his blessings with just being able to keep working his thumb along the curve of her breast. Sex wasn't even something he'd considered at this stage.

 

Maybe take her out for paintball and a romcom, buy her toffee apples after and peck her goodnight on her doorstep. Go out someplace pretty wearing clothes other than their stealth suits. Date. Like normal sixteen year olds.

 

Her palms had fallen off his face with the vigorousness of his approval, but she only smiled at him fondly.

"Wally," she started, huskier than usual.

 

And that's when there's a beep announcing Sphere, who's announcing Someone in turn. It's not like they're a secret or anything, but neither of them quite want to be found in this position exactly on the common food counter. Wally is a speedster and hence decent in a second and (un)comfortably an innocent two feet away from her, and Artemis nimbly jumps off the counter, but neither can help they way they both look breathless, flushed and rumpled. Wally's hair is all over the place, even more so than usual and Artemis doesn't look all that much put together herself.

 

And then Robin strolls in at his boner-killing best. 

 

Wally and Artemis shared a glance.

"I thought you were back at Gotham, Rob. Forget something here ?" Wally asked, trying to keep the breathiness out of his voice, because if looks could kill, the one Artemis is sending Robin could easily have given him a set of wings to match his name, complete with a little harp and halo to go along with them.

 

"And leave my best buds all alone on the first weekend of the new year ? Not quite feeling the aster there." Dick grinned sharply.

 

Wally was really trying to give Dick an out, because he could see Artemis's hand slowly creeping towards the nearest object, which happened to be a stray fork. He doesn't doubt that Artemis could make it hurt as much as the sai’s her sister favoured.

 

"Plus, if two is company, then three's a party." Dick grins at them some more.

There's no way he didn't know what he'd just walked in on, the little twerp.

And yet, despite the fact that a significant part of Wally (mostly below his belt line) wants to send Robin back to Gotham the hard way, he can't help but be genuinely happy that Robin thought of the team, of _him_ when he got lonely.

 

Because Wally might have been a lot of things, but stupid wasn't one of them. He knew that Dick, a social creature by nature had come to the HQ in the hopes of finding company, because Batman was most likely busy on League business and not likely to be able to spend the weekend with Dick. Alfred would probably have been given the day off, and Wally could see it in his mind's eye, the way Alfred would have offered to stay back and keep Dick company, and how Dick would have refused with a huge well-faked grin, insisting that Alfie take the day off.

 

So of course Dick was lonely in the huge mansion all by himself. He must've gone through the entire list of current cases on Batman's database, not found any new leads, probably patrolled Gotham and rechecked the cases before deciding to give up and come back to Mount Justice.

 

Wally hurts for Robin, but simultaneously wishes his timing could have been better. But then, Robin's pretty damn perceptive - he knows exactly what he just walked in on, and the fact that he had not yet made his excuses and wandered off to a different part of the cave is what galvanized Wally's resolution.

Robin wanted to cockblock him? Fine. Two could play this game, and Wally was playing to win. Plus, he had Artemis on his side. 

 

The plan was simple really - be all over each other with Robin watching until _he_ was the one uncomfortable and needing to leave the room, instead of the other way around. 

In the few seconds it had taken him to figure out this next move of his, Artemis was still glaring daggers at Robin (although Wally would swear he could additionally hear a low growl starting to emanate from her), who was still beaming back inanely.

 

Wally moved back towards Artemis, who tensed, confused at what he was doing until he winked at her and mouthed _play along_ with his back turned to Robin.

Wally picked her up at the waist, her arms automatically curling around his neck to steady herself as he placed her back on the counter. He stopped fighting to sound nonchalant, infact aiming for _very_ chalant, as he let the heat creep back into his voice when he looked over his shoulder back at Robin."Have it your way then Rob, if this is gonna be a party then feel free to play a game or two."

 

And then Wally was kissing Artemis like before.

She hesitated, not completely comfortable with the idea of putting on a performance, but the little charade bought out the showman in Wally like nothing before and made him even better at what he was doing, until Artemis went loose in his arms, her breath coming in soft, light gasps, girlish in a way he'd have never assigned to her.

 

Like they had a brain of their own, his hands start wandering again, and he loses time, kissing along the arch of her neck, not holding back the low groan ripped from him when her fingers pull hard at his hair.

He'd all but forgotten the initial intent with which he'd started this show, forgotten about anything and everything that wasn't Artemis and the feel of her under his fingertips, until she stiffened in his arms.

He looked over his shoulder to see what had her spooked and can't help but feel a jolt when he finds Robin still standing there, albeit slack jawed and clearly holding himself up on the nearest solid object, which happened to be Sphere.

 

Dick's eyes are huge behind the dark glasses that had skid down his nose, his eyebrows had seemingly cleared immigration customs into his hairline and he's closing his mouth and opening it again like he's wants to say something, but not a squeak was to be heard. 

 

"Since you like what you see so much, care to join ?"Artemis says raggedly.

Wally knows that she's in on the plan to out-dick Dick, but there's something hidden there, the way her voice catches.

 

Still, Robin finally comes to his senses at that, breaking the spell that had come over the three of them when he stutters out some hybrid of an apology and an excuse to leave, and then all but runs from the kitchen, Sphere chirruping merrily after him as she rolled out of the room.

 

Artemis let out a deep breath. "Was that a too much ?" she asked, uncertainty colouring her voice as she watched the doorway Dick had just run through. It's not something he's heard in her tone very often before so he knows to handle the situation with as much care as he's capable of.

"No, that was perfect. You were perfect," he reassured her.

Artemis craned her neck to look further past where Robin had disappeared to. 

"I mean, we didn't scar a fourteen year-old too badly did we ? He'll be fine right?" It sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than anything.

 

Wally looked her in the eye. "Babe. It's _Robin_. He'll be great. Are _you_ fine ?"

Artemis stopped rubbernecking then to focus on Wally's eyes, and let out a sigh, tension bleeding out of her. "I will be now, yeah." she cracked a smile.

 

M'Gann walked in a couple of hours later, levitating about half a grocery aisle's worth of food, to find them in the sitting area. Artemis solving her algebra holiday homework on the couch while Wally speed-read (quite literally) his way through his biology textbook on the floor at her feet.

Heroing and good grades were far from mutually inclusive, and while Artemis had a scholarship to justify, Wally had to feed his inner,chronically hungry nerd. Catching up on homework together was a ritual that they'd set up a long time before they'd been anything more than simply cautious teammates to each other.

Artemis was something of a trigonometry whiz, good at projectile motion and had a distinct flair for geography as well (Wally figured it had a lot to do with archery, understanding the climate and winds of different terrains while calculating sightlines and angles on the fly) and Wally loved everything science in general. It was one of the handful of things that had got them talking outside of mission stuff initially.

 

M'Gann floated over to them with a party pack of cookies and handed it over to Wally (Artemis may have snared his heart, but his stomach belonged to M'Gann, bless her).

“ Hey guys. Do you know when Robin came back ? We just met him in the gym downstairs. Will he be staying for Dinner ? I have new recipe I'd been planning to try." she says hopefully. It's cute, the way she referred to Connor and herself as _we_ , one unit, almost unconsciously.

Wally and Artemis shared a look. 

"He did come say hi earlier, but wasn't too interested in what we were doing, so I guess he wandered off to the gym instead." Artemis shrugged.

It was impressively close to the truth, while not even remotely hinting at what had actually happened.

M'Gann wrinkled her nose when she noticed their open textbooks, presumably assuming Robin hadn't been too keen on studying either. She waved to them, drifting off muttering to herself about her own unfinished school work. Wally marvelled at how talented Artemis was at telling people part of the truth and letting them come up with their own (and frequently wrong) conclusion. He couldn't repress the familiar stab of sadness mixed in with anger, when he thought of _why_ she'd had to develop that particular skill set. It was just as quickly dispelled though, when Artemis winked at him and smirked knowingly. Wally might have blushed. Furiously so.

Finishing up, Artemis went to her room to take a shower, pecking Wally on the cheek as she went. They were both staying the night at Mt. Justice before zeta-ing home the next morning to spend the extended weekend with their families.

 

Which reminded Wally of why Robin had walked in on the two of them in the first place. And while he surely could live up to his preferred nickname at times, Wally felt for the lonely kid.

A few seconds later, he'd checked the gym, found it empty and was now knocking on Robin's door. 

He pushed it open when Dick called out to come in, but it was clear that Dick hadn't been expecting Wally. To anybody else, the quick flicker in Dick's easy smile wouldn't have even registered, but it confirmed to Wally that they did indeed Need To Talk.

Dick spun away from his screens, and leaned back in his chair, the casually relaxed looking manoeuvre all too deliberate. Clearly, he was channelling all of Batman's body language training. "What can I do for ya KF ?"

 

Then again, Wally knew that a truly relaxed Robin always maintained perfect posture, preferring a straight backrest to a slanting one (Something about always having his center of gravity perpendicular to the ground, maybe it came with being an acrobat)

"Actually, it's more of what I can do for you, Rob. How would you like to have your skinny behind kicked at Mario Kart, courtesy me ?"

Robin snorted. "Loser buys ice cream for the next month. Hope I won't be digging into your college fund buddy,"

"Ooh, shots fired Dickie. More like even that Wayne allowance won't be sufficient to cover the bill."

Robin straightens up (relaxing for the first time since Wally walked in) and saunters past Wally, whistling the Space Jam theme song. 

 

Half an hour later, they're neck to neck in the game, and Wally isn't above playing dirty, so he says, "So, was earlier today enough of a party for you ?"

Dick flinched so hard his character veers off track and he dropped the controller before scrambling for it and stabbing at the pause button frantically.

Wally blinks back at him innocently.

Robin cleared his throat, and tried for his usual I-know-something-you-don't smile but it's more marks for effort rather than execution.

"Incidentally, the last party I was at did include something similar, although I distinctly remember being one of the involved parties."

Now it's Wally's turn to goggle. He dropped his controller and rested his chin in his palms.

"And you never said anything! Details, man ! Oh, wait, was she your first ? Um, I'm assuming it was a she, cause if it was a he, then it's totally cool too, just let me know if you need a shovel talk to be dispensed, cause I can write it all out and you can veto up to 5 lines that are too scary, and ohmigod they're gonna have to meet _Bruce-_ "

"It's Barbara," Dick cuts of Wally's gleeful speed rambling, blushing like crazy all the while, but he manages to exude his usual self-satisfied persona. "And B has already met her, multiple times, she comes over for homework, plus she's Inspector Gordon's daughter too, so we've seen her on our night job as well this once she was at the station."

He pushed a hand through his hair somewhat uneasily. "I mean, I just hope she doesn't recognize me as Robin you know ? She's pretty smart."

 

Wally waggled his eyebrows at Dick. "You wanna focus on the 'pretty' or the 'smart' part of that sentence ?" he grinned.

Dick side-eyed him wryly. "What can I say Walls, smart leggy redheads just do it for me." And then blinked, looking a little panicked.

 

Wally didn't notice as he was too busy tackling Robin in a hug. "Aww, my precious little birdie is growing up so fast," he cooed and Robin wriggled out of the half-Nelson he was in with a look of supreme disgust before making a grab for the controller to unpause, cackling when Wally yelled and dived for his own as well. 

And Wally could tell, that although they might not/would not refer to that afternoon again, it was cool between them.

(Robin beats Wally by a single point, but because it genuinely _would_ mean cutting from Wally's college fund- summer jobs are another thing heroing doesn't leave much time for, other than his newspaper boy gig - they settle for a compromise. Wally sponsors the next date Dick goes on with Barbara, which works out well for Wally and bad for Dick because it gets cut short when the team is called in an emergency). 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

One day, apropos of nothing, Paula Crock had said to her daughter, "You must grow strong, my girl, if only to bear the weight of you ambitions."  
Artemis, surrounded by the now typical mess of textbooks, notes and arrows that needed new heads had snorted.  
"And why would you use ambition and me in the same sentence?"  
Paula had tugged a little harder than necessary on the strand of hair she was braiding for Artemis, but her answer was serene enough. "Because I gave birth to you and what a process _that_ was !"  
Artemis would have snorted again, but she really would prefer her mom to keep braiding instead of wheeling herself away in a huff, muttering about respect and other vague parent-y rant stuff, so she tickled her mother’s bare foot, making Paula squeal and chuckle instead. Mom smoothed her hand over Artemis's head, a rare soft gesture, her face the kind of sad that came with remembering old losses. _She's thinking about Jade_ , Artemis thought. And then thought no more about it because that was as far down that rabbit hole that she was willing to go.  
Later at night though, when the ever present light from the street that somehow always got past the curtains struck her in the eye, she had to admit that ambition, whether she called it by that name or not, was the strongest factor that had got them where they were today.  
Grit, sure. Pure bull-headed tenacity, definitely and with pride.  
But ambition, that quiet but undamped little ember that flickered in her chest was as much a Crock family heirloom as her mother's blades, her father's genes in her blond hair, the poster of the Cheshire cat on the wall.  
They all burned a little ambition in them. Her father to achieve recognition as villain royalty, her mother to achieve atonement and a better life for her daughters. Jade's ambition to find herself. Ambition was what had separated her family in the past, sent each of them careening off on their own quests; Ambition, Artemis thought as she slipped below the waves of consciousness, was what would keep her new family together.

So when Robin calls a few days later, on her civilian mobile, she doesn't ask how he knew her number and gets straight to the point. Something must be wrong. Somebody on the team must be hurt.

If she could reach through the phone and smack him upside his smug little head, she would've when Dick smirks , "Knew you'd answer."

Artemis doesn't remember exactly when she started thinking of Robin and Dick as the same person, given that she's had her suspicions about Gotham Academy's Richard 'Dick' Grayson for a while now. Artemis is pretty sure she's right about Robin's secret identity though.  
"Annnnd disconnecting in 5, 2, 1-"  
"Ok ok, Arty, I have a mission. And Uncle Sam needs you."  
"You do realize Uncle Sam also killed a lot of possibly distant relatives of mine, right?"  
She heard the muffled smack of a facepalm. "6 degrees of Kevin Bacon, ugh, sorry that was ill thought out."

And although he gets to the point, she's far from sold on what he's proposing.  
"So let me get this straight- you want me to come with you on a non-Batman, non-JLA sanctioned, non-official in any way mission, to catch Klarion the Witch boy, for Dr. Fate, who'd lost him during a distraction on the last league mission."  
"Better than I could have summarized it myself !" she can hear his silly grin through the phone.  
"Numero uno- Did you fall too hard on patrol ? Hit your head maybe ?  
Number two- If it's a magic mission, oh ugh, I can't believe I said magic mission out loud, you need Zatanna, and not two of the only completely non-enhanced or powered members of the team. And third, if the JLA lost him, the JLA can get him back too." She's on the border of confusion, and irritation at that confusion and she's steadily reaching critical mass to disconnecting the call.  
"Ah, no no no, it's not something you need to drop everything for and join me on, but I hope you didn’t have any plans for the weekend."  
"And if I did ?"  
"Well they still won't be more fun than tangling with Klarion alongside your friendly neighbourhood Boy Wonder !"  
"Robin, seriously. What is going on. Is someone in trouble? Are you in trouble ? Because buddy, I'm not bailing you out from under the Batman if this goes sideways."  
She hears the shift in his tone to business this time. "Nobody's in trouble. But I do need your help, Artemis."  
"Why aren't we involving the whole team ? More the merrier right ? We guys have snuck out before, gone behind the JLA's backs." She's not completely surprised at the way she's already saying we, as if she'd already agreed. Then again, she had started embracing the ridiculous a while back.  
"And we've gotten caught too and then helped by them. No, I need this to go off without a hitch. And no official assists. Plus, involving the team makes it unofficially official, if you know what I mean." he says conversationally, like he's making perfect sense.  
"I don't," Artemis points out but Robin is on a roll now.  
"Involving the team makes it official and if it's official it won't be a favour of goodwill for Dr. Fate, and he won't be obliged to do something back for us in return."  
"Firstly, are you suggesting blackmailing Earth's Sorcerer Supreme with altruism ? Secondly, you can't force a gift on somebody, and if given freely you can't demand something back in return. That is not the way this thing works." She tells him.  
"Ah but this isn't a gift. Klarion's questioning is important to the League, we're just helping Nabu do his job. Specifically. In return, for a small favour of course." He sounded distinctly like the way Artemis had always imagined a snake oil salesman to sound.  
"If I'm going along with you on this, into magic, you need to tell me exactly what it is you're asking for, or I'm out."

There’s a very pregnant pause.  
"It's for Zatanna. I'm going to beg Nabu to release her father for a day for her to meet him." The last time he'd sounded this serious was when he'd told her to get Traught or get dead.  
Artemis bit her lip and looked away. Just like that, all her misgivings had taken a backseat. She desperately wanted this to work but. But.

"And why do you think he'll agree ?" Assuming they first didn't get turned into a pair of sad, heroic cockroaches because magic! and could actually capture Klarion.

"Because we'd save Nabu the time he'd need to have tracked down Klarion himself, so instead he can give that time to Zatanna and her dad to spend together. And I'm hoping to appeal to his better nature. Plus, you're crucial in this." Dick sounded very sure.

"Me?"

"You left a very good impression on Kent Nelson, Artemis and since Nelson was Fate's host for so long, I'm betting Nabu tends to remember people and events that were important to the old man. He was the closest thing Nabu had to a friend after all, and for quite a while. I'm hoping when he sees that you were the one helping on the mission, he'll soften up a bit."

Artemis sighed heavily. She hated being manipulated, but Dick's logic was flawless and if it she could do absolutely anything to hold back the increasingly dead look in Zatanna's eyes, Artemis would.

"You'd make a good boyfriend if you stopped spending all your time being sneaky, you know?" She tells him when the meet besides the Gargoyles near Gotham's clock tower.  
Robin throws his skinny arms around her neck and lifts her off her feet. She lets him.

***

_Zatanna. You're doing this for Zee_. She repeats it to herself like a mantra. Even though the next sentence always is - ' _Otherwise literally anywhere else but here you'd be.'_  
Glass half full, they didn't have six legs and still couldn't survive a nuclear winter. On the other hand, despite not being cockroaches, they didn't completely make it out without casualties.  
She'd been cursed to speak in rhyming couplets, and although Nabu had dismissed it impatiently as a minor spell that would wear off within a few hours once they'd presented Klarion to him , it was wearing on her nerves. At least the spell didn't include rhyming her thoughts too. Still, she's better off than Dick, who'd been with hit with a spell that had made his voice sound like Alvin the Chipmunk on helium.

It was almost too high to hear, but he too had been promised the effects would wear off in a while. Robin didn't look very reassured.

"Well ? Your presence is no longer required here." Nabu told them imperiously as he finished off magically securing a sedated Klarion and his nasty cat in a rune circle.

Not even a thankyou from Dr. Fart. (Wally's term for him in private, not hers. Although with the way things were going, she was teetering on going the West way) Real stand up guy, she thought bitterly, feeling her heart sink as she thought it even less likely now for him to grant their 'goodwill' request.

But Dick, as she'd been learning, was Bruce Wayne's son, which meant schmoozing was a skill he trained in just as hard as any other form of ninja takedown he practiced.

"It's been our pleasure to be able to aid in your mission, Dr. Fate. I've always been of the opinion that the mystic side of crime has always been side-lined by the League to an extent, though it is no less important than any of the other threats on the physical plane that they face." Dick squeaked, the earnestness in his voice still coming through perfectly.  
Nabu snorted.  
Artemis wondered how he cleaned he inside of his helmet if he never took it off. Clearly, she'd been spending too much time around Wally.  
"You have no idea, boy. Although Batman, to his credit has made it a point to try and give appropriate priority to investigate disturbances even of the occult type."

_Carefully Dick_ , she thought. He couldn't slight the League even to someone like Nabu.  
Dick was clearly confident about what he was doing though. He smiled, face open and warm in the way she'd only ever see him be around friends. "Well, my mentor had always spoken highly of Dr. Fate as a protector of earth when Kent Nelson wore the helm."  
"Hmm, yes, Kent Nelson was a long time companion of mine. But I find that Zatara is a satisfactory host as well."

"Giovanni Zatara was the most skilled magician on the planet. The Justice League only accepts the best." Dick squeaked in all seriousness.

"Be that as it may, I find that his magic is rooted more in his emotions than Nelson's had ever been. It makes for stronger enchantments, but those of a more temperamental nature too."

Artemis watched the way Dick's body language changed ever so subtly, like a hawk spotting it prey and diving for the kill. This was clearly what he had been waiting for.  
"Quite like his daughter's then. Zatanna is a talented occultist in her own right."

"Yes, I remember the girl. She had ever so briefly been my host, but her power was great. She had a lot of potential that I could have drawn out into truly formidable magics should she have remained my host."  
Nabu winced then. "Zatara is still very protective of her. It's one of the few issues we differ on."

"On a purely professional note, not that I could say I understand magic and what influences the channeler of it, but wouldn't it benefit to have a host like Mr.Zatara happy then ? If he'd be even more willing to serve, wouldn't your magic be all the more powerful for it ?"

Fate looked at him closely. "What are you getting at boy ?"

"Giovanni loved his daughter more than anything else in the world. Getting to see her would make him so much more content, and thus Dr. Fate by extension more powerful."

"And what exactly are you suggesting?"

"I'm suggesting a small business decision. You've looked within his mind and know Giovanni Zatara to be an honest man. Trustworthy. If you let him take off the helm, and give him a day to just be with Zatanna as father and daughter, I think it would be to the benefit of everyone involved."

Nabu snorted again. _Magic boogers_ , thought Artemis.  
"A day is much too long. If my enemies were to find out that Dr. Fate was out of commission for an entire day, there's no telling what havoc they'd wreck."  
He paused and grew silent for a moment.  
"Although Zatara, and I as well see the merit of your argument. He has suggested a compromise. One hour, instead of one day, but for every year that he remains my host."

Dick shot a look at Artemis, wide-eyed. It was more than they had expected. She nodded back at him. Beggars couldn't be choosers.  
"On a day of her choosing," Dick added.

Nabu inclined his head. "Acceptable."

Dick cleared his throat nervously. "It's actually her birthday tomorrow. We were hoping she'd be able to spend some time with her father on that day."

Nabu shook his head. “Since you have captured the witch boy for me, I will have to inform the League immediately so we can proceed with the next part of this operation. However, I will be free immediately after while the League coordinates with members who will be part of the mission. It is to happen either now, or when the mission is completed."

"Then right now," Artemis blurted. "Would be wow," was dragged out immediately. Artemis swore right then that she’d never, not if her life depended on it, write even so much as a haiku.

"I'll let Zatanna know, that meeting her Dad is a go." Dick, the little shit, squeaked smirking goofily at her in a mockery of her curse.

***

Zatanna came through the door looking for all the world like she’d just lost Gryffindor an entire year’s worth of house points.

“What exactly did you tell her? I swear I’ll punch you should she shed a tear,” Artemis hissed at Dick. Needless to say, the effect was ruined considerably by the rhyming wordplay.

“Man, I wish I’d got your curse and you’d got mine,” Dick marvelled in bell-like tones, before grunting when Artemis elbowed him hard.  
”I just told her that Dr. Fate had to meet with her urgently.”

Zatanna caught sight of them then, and waved in relief. “Guys, what’s happening? And where’s the rest of the team ? Your message really didn’t say much, Birdbrain.”

“Hey Zee. Sure it did.”

Her eyes widened at Dick’s mouse-like register, although she took it in stride. She probably saw stranger things before breakfast.

“ _There’s somebody here to meet you. Dr. Fate will do the introductions. Location: Watch Tower, Time: ASAP. Be there or be square. Hey why square though? Isn’t being square a good thing? Like square with your debts, enemies, I-Owe-You's ?_ That’s hardly comprehensive, Mickey.”

She looked at Artemis then. “Thank goodness you’re here, Arty. I could really do with a little hand-holding right now.”

“And I’ll be the only one offering the hand,” Nabu boomed from behind them. Turned out he was even more of a sucker for dramatic entrances than Wally.  
“Dr. Fate !” Zatanna jumped.  
“Not for the next one hour, and only one hour. It has been pointed out to me that the efficiency of my bond with Zatara will greatly increase if he were to get a chance to meet you.”

Zatanna’s mouth had fallen open, no sound coming out. Nabu droned on, “But since I trust in Zatara’s integrity, I am willing to let him take off the Helmet, with the promise that he will return to his duty as my host. A good business decision.”

Zatanna mouthed the words _good business decision_ with narrowed eyes even as Dr. Fate reached up, and took off his helmet, and then as Artemis blinked past the bright green after-image that followed the searing gold flash, Zatara stood before them.

Zatanna raised her hand towards her father as if in a trance. He wore the exact same clothes that he had been in the night Nabu had claimed him, but his hair, then jet black now glittered with silver. Artemis had only seen Zatara a couple of times before it all happened, but even she could tell how much older his face looked. She could only imagine how stark the ageing must have appeared to Zatanna. Artemis felt a sudden pang for Kent Nelson, robbed of his youth and time with his beloved.

Zatara strode quickly to his daughter, picking her up as she stood frozen. He murmured into her hair as tears streamed down his face. Artemis only caught the words “Forgive the smell, haven’t actually had a bath in months…” before she heard Zatanna laugh like she hadn’t ever since, well, Before.  
She tugged on Dick’s arm. “This isn’t for us to see. Gone we must be.”

Dick came with her as she pulled him along, but not before throwing a wistful look back at the pair, who were both trembling as they cried.  
He looked back at her resolutely then. “But we’ll be there for After.”  
Artemis nodded. Everybody needed someone for After.

***

One hour really wasn’t all that long, as it turned out.  
The three of them zeta’d back to the cave, Zatanna still sniffly and eyes red. But her smile looked more solid than it had for a while now when she raised an eyebrow at him and said, "A good business decision, huh ?” The corner of her mouth twitched.

Dick shifted uncomfortably, scratching the back of his head. “We had to sell it to him the way he’d best buy it, Zee.”

His fingers tingled when she took his hand. Magic? Maybe. Quickened pulse, totally. Artemis was quick to point out, “Nuh uh with the We. This was pretty much his idea. I was just along to beat up Klarion the Bitch Boy and his evil cat.” And then, “Hey, it’s wearing off !”

Without leaving his hand, Zatanna threw her free arm around Artemis, who hugged her back tightly enough to lift Zatanna off the floor. "Thankyou both, so much. Daddy wanted to personally thank you guys, but we lost track of time. Just know, you two have a two magician's eternal gratitude."

Zee's voice quavered. Artemis put her down and cleared her throat, voice still coming out huskier than usual. “I think you two need to have a word. Like, a whole crossword or game of scrabble,” she waved her hand expansively, shot Dick a Meaningful™ look and walked off deeper into the cave.

Zatanna took a deep breath. “I know you have the Bat reputation to keep of never just saying anything straightforward, and camouflaging it behind fancy words like Expedite and Efficiency and _good business decisions_ but I'm not going to let that stop me from saying thankyou, Robin. From the bottom of my very deep heart.”

Her words were muffled from where she’d buried her face in his shoulder, so he couldn’t see her expression to tell whether she was being sarcastic or serious. Probably both; it was one of the things he loved about her. Dick carefully wound his arms around her waist, gently swaying them.

It took him a few tries, throat always too dry but he got it out eventually. “I know what it’s like to not get a chance to say goodbye. Sometimes, that’s all you want. Just to kiss them goodbye before they go.” His voice came out steadier than he felt.

Zatanna pulled back to look at him, finding something meaningful to her even in the blank lenses of his mask.

“Was that what you and Artemis were trying to give me then? A chance to say goodbye ? Because though my time together with daddy was short, this was much less of a good bye and more of an Au Revoir.”

Dick grinned at her. “Yeah we lucked out there. Nabu decided that -”

“-that instead of a single block of time only once, repeated stimulus once a year would be better.” She smiled a little bitterly. “Dad told me.”  
She shrugged, certainly the more _Non_ of Chalant than she was actually feeling, Dick decided. “Still, a grain of salt a day keeps the demons away, as dad used to say. This is more like salt in the wound, once a year. Same energy though. I don't look a gift unicorn in the mouth.”

“Zee, I’m here if you need to talk-”

“Rob.” She cut him off, “I _do_ need to talk. But I also need _you_ to talk back. I know you’ve lost your parents too. It leaves a mark, like a brand, that can be recognized by others who’ve lost them as well. And yet I know your feelings on that matter are not something you’ll share with me, not beyond a point atleast, even if it makes me feel better. Tell me, am I wrong in assuming that?”

Dick desperately wanted to say that _Yes_ , she was wrong, but he wouldn’t lie like that. Wally was the only one who truly knew how he felt about his parents' death (not murder, not anymore. They had solved that case years ago), the only one other than Bruce and Alfred to whom he felt he could open up to about that part of him.

Neither of them even mention the fact that he's still not about to share his secret identity with her. Dick hung his head, guilting himself into coming up with a reply, so he was very surprised when instead he found his mouth occupied with the soft press of Zatanna’s lips against his own. He sighed as he felt the flutter of her eyelashes on his cheek just below his mask.

“I get it,” she whispered when she pulled away.

“Or maybe I don’t _get_ it, but I can understand. It's who you are. And it doesn’t for a moment change the way I feel about you, Robin, just like it doesn’t change the fact that I can’t be with someone who keeps parts of themselves under such a tight lock with everyone.”

Now it might not have been his first kiss _ever_ , but it was his first with _her_ and Dick was still very much getting over the fact that a girl he liked dizzyingly much had just kissed him and had simultaneously, what seemed like broken up with him. God, he loved the way she multi-tasked.

“Um, did you just breakup with me ?” he confirmed.

“You tell me, Bird Boy. Were we dating ?” she winked.

And then laughed when he started to stammer some semblance of a response to that.

“I owe you, Batboy. One favour, no questions asked, whenever, whatever I can do to help you.”

“Zee,” he protested, “this isn’t something you need to return a favour over-”

“I know.” She laid her hand gently on the side of his face. Dick let himself lean into her touch.  
“But I need someway substantial to say thank you, and meeting dad today reminded me of something he used to say. If you want to help somebody, you give them what _they_ need, when they need it. Not what _you_ decide they need when it’s convenient to you. You and Artemis did that for me today, so this is me promising that I’ll do that for you tomorrow. And besides,” her grin turned wicked, “just think of it as a good business decision.”

He has bats in his stomach and his ears feel hot, but Dick had gotten caught offguard and stammering once too often in this conversation. Not again.

He twisted a hand into her hair, feeling the way she shivered slightly under him. “Say it backwards,” he whispered into the shell of her ear, fingers lightly playing with her hair.

Zatanna looked at him with fathomless eyes, humour and magic mixed deep in there. ”Doog ssenisub noisiced, ” she told him softly. Dick kissed her again, just at the corner of her mouth, pulling away even as she searched for his lips with her own. 

He tried not to grin at her muttered “Tease.” Dick figured that if they weren’t actually dating, he could get away with not being a complete gentleman once in a while.

“Now it’s a lock.” he murmured into her hair as he kissed her forehead.

***

Au revoir, he thinks later, perched besides the Gargoyles. If you loved somebody, maybe it was never truly goodbye. Just au revoir.

 

**Author's Note:**

> This story has been in the pipe since early 2017, and should have been finished in time for YJ Outsiders, but oh well. Jumping into posting DC for the first time with the rest of the Young Justice team couldn't be more thrilling ! Story title from The Beach by The Neighbourhood


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